At least 121 people have died and several others wounded, in a stampede that took place on 2 July in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. The stampede occured at 'satsang' of 'Bhole Baba' which was being held in Fulrai-Mughalgarhi village, along the GT Road. Most of the devotees present were women, according to Additional Director General (Agra) Anupam Kulshreshtha.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against at Sikandra Rao police station in Hathras district against the chief organiser Devprakash Madhukar and other organisers under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including:
105 (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder),
110 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide),
126 (2) (Wrongful restraint),
223 (Disobedience to order promulgated by public servant),
238 (Causing disappearance of evidence of offence)
The 'Baba' has been identified as Sakar Vishwa Hari 'Bhole Baba'. However, he has not been named in the FIR. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the injured at the hospital. He said a judicial inquiry headed by a retired High Court judge will be initiated and promised to punish those who are responsible for the lapse.
What caused the stampede?
The Quint narrates the sequence of events based on the FIR as well as official probe report of the SDM, Hathras District:
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